Jake Locker disappointed to miss homecoming Seahawks game

When the Seahawks’ 2013 schedule was released in April, Huskies fans were quick to circle this Sunday’s home game against the Titans. It’s the first pro homecoming for former UW quarterback Jake Locker, who’s now the starter in Tennessee.

Titans quarterback Jake Locker warms up before his fateful game against the Jets on Sept. 29 in Nashville, Tenn. (Wade Payne/AP Photo)

Or at least it was supposed to be. Locker is now out for several weeks after suffering a sprained hip during the Titans’ Sept. 29 against the New York Jets in Nashville. He spent the night in a hospital, and is still on crutches with no concrete timeline for returning to the field.

“It’s tough” Locker said Wednesday of missing the Titans-Seahawks game. “I was really looking forward to having the opportunity to play there and be able to play in front of my family and friends and stuff. So it’s hard.”

Now in his third year in the NFL, Locker started this season hot. He led the Titans as they opened 3-1 with victories over the Steelers, Chargers and Jets (and a loss in Houston), throwing six touchdown passes and no interceptions on 62.2 percent passing. Against New York on Sept. 29, he had three scores and 149 yards on 18-for-24 passing before he was carted off the field.

Last season, his first as the starter in Tennessee, Locker played to a 4-7 record in 11 games, throwing 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on his way to a 56.4 completion percentage and 2,176 passing yards, plus 291 rushing yards and a score on the ground. He missed five games with a shoulder injury, during which his backup — another familiar face in Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck — racked up two wins and three losses.

Hasselbeck is now Andrew Luck’s backup in Indianapolis; quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is now Locker’s backup in Tennessee. Last week, in the Titans’ 26-17 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Fitzpatrick was 21-for-41 with 247 passing yards, two TDs (one passing and one rushing) and two interceptions.

Jake Locker is carted off the field with a hip injury Sept. 29 in Nashville, Tenn. (Mark Zaleski/AP Photo)

Nevertheless, Locker hopes to make the trip to Seattle this weekend with his team. The eighth-overall 2011 NFL Draft pick said he might even be able to attend Saturday’s big college-rivalry game between No. 2 Oregon and No. 16 Washington at Husky Stadium.

“It’s fun. It’s a dream come true for me,” Locker said of being an NFL quarterback. “And it’s challenging. It’s a new challenge every day. But it’s something that I’m very thankful for. I love having this opportunity and, you know, (I’m) going to continue to grow and I hope to enjoy it as long as possible.”

Speaking with Seattle media during a conference call Wednesday, Locker said he had also been looking forward to facing his former passing target Jermaine Kearse, the undrafted Huskies star who has developed into a promising receiver for the Seahawks. Unfortunately for Locker, crutches don’t fare well on the gridiron.

“They want me to be on them, still, if I’m standing on (my hip) for long periods of time,” Locker said. “But for the most part, just walking around the facility and stuff, I have gotten rid of (the crutches).

“And then timeline — just for me, I’m just trying to get back as quick as I can. I’m not paying attention to the timelines that have been thrown out there. I feel good, and I just want to continue to progress and get back on the field as soon as I can.”